The serious physical work started on Friday after members of the media, Italian journalists among them, were asked to leave England's training ground here in Krakow.

It was then that Roy Hodgson called his players together in the Hutnik Stadium; then, in what amounted to their first proper work-out after the two recovery days that followed Tuesday night's encounter with Ukraine, that he organised them in a formation that was familiar but had one or two subtle changes.

During the open part of the session, Andy Carroll had excelled. Ray Lewington, Hodgson's trusted assistant, had noted as much, shouting words of encouragement to the towering Liverpool striker. He also repeatedly told the players to 'relax on the ball'. It seemed to work.  The ball was being passed quite beautifully.

Handy Andy: Carroll impressed for England during training on Friday but is unlikely to start against the Italians

All good for the Sky Italia cameras. But with the cameras gone, Carroll was then politely asked to stand aside, with Hodgson focused on drilling his front six against his back four. It looked like the team that will endeavour to make history in Kiev tomorrow night and become the first England team to beat a major footballing nation in the knockout stages of a tournament on foreign soil.

The team that Hodgson hopes will have the measure of Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon, Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli. It was the same line-up that started against Ukraine.

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